“Even after 70 years, the Republic of Korea has not forgotten the sacrifices and will be eternally grateful.” On the anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Seoul’s ambassador to Ankara says that Turkish troops left an indelible mark on Korean people
Korean Veteran Suleyman Dilbirligi is together with his adopted daughter Ayla / Photo: AA Archive
“I don't want the war to happen anywhere ever again, but once it breaks out, you can't run away from it,” Mustafa Recberoglu, a 96-year-old Korean War veteran living in Istanbul, tells“We were trained for two months in Ankara. From there, we took the train one morning and went to Iskenderun. Crossed the Suez Canal with a ship we boarded there. Also crossed oceans, and after days of travel, we finally arrived in Korea. We had a lot of trouble.
“The Korean War has formed a positive basis for the relations between the two countries and the two peoples. Thanks to the two countries' soldiers fighting shoulder to shoulder, Türkiye and South Korea are two 'blood brothers' countries. We continue to work resolutely to develop bilateral relations built on this foundation in every field,” says Tamer.
The story of Ayla, which was later turned into a movie, perfectly captures the events that inspire faith in humanity. One night, at the peak of the war, Suleyman Dilbirligi, one of the Turkish soldiers, stumbles upon a 5-year-old Korean girl whose parents were killed on the battlefield. For Suleyman, it was a tough decision to leave Ayla behind. He wanted to take her to Türkiye and raise the child like his daughter. As per historical accounts, he attempted to take Ayla out of the country in a suitcase but failed to do so.
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